Step 3: Put the Filter on the Fan

Step 4: Put the Duct Arm on the Fan

The long dryer hose is used as the duct arm in this extractor. Put a loosened hose clamp onto the fan before you put the hose on. Carefully fit one en...

by KOMetzler

If you don't want to be inhaling nasty heavy metals while soldering, solder fume extraction is a big deal. But, if you look online or in stores for solder fume extractors, you'll find that they sell for around $40 up to thousands of dollars! After figuring out exactly what kind of solder fume extractor I wanted (a really awesome one with multiple duct-arms to use for multiple soldering stations!), I wrote down all the specs I could find, and headed to my favorite local hardware store, McGuckins in Boulder, CO.

I was able to build a working solder fume extractor for $70, when I would have purchased a similar one for $1200! Awesome!

For this solder fume extractor, I used carbon filtering. Other extractors also use HEPA filtering. I tried HEPA filtering using a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner HEPA filter, but found that it restricted the flow of the fumes too much. The extractor ended up blowing the solder fumes around rather than sucking them! However, implementing a HEPA filter is definitely a possibility, and I might try using both carbon and HEPA filtering in the future!